Without a Word
by SlytherinL
Summary: Morinozuka Takashi always thought the table near the back of the library where the window was always open was his own private paradise...until he first saw her. A girl who loved books of all kinds, who was easy to read, who ignored the real world in favor of the one created by her favorite books...She was interesting to him. Who says you can't fall in love without a word? Mori/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Mori's turn. I don't think a dramatic love story would really suit him so this is much more peaceful than the rest lol Hope you enjoy it! I own nothing!**

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"Hey, Hani-senpai, have you seen Mori-senpai?" Haruhi asked, understandably surprised to see them apart. "He doesn't have kendo practice today, does he?" It wasn't exactly a hosting day; Tamaki had decided to take it upon himself (and the unwilling host club) to fix yet another issue bothering one of his fellow students. _Talk about a day of studying wasted by going along with his whims..._ She privately thought, just slightly annoyed.

"Hmm...Takashi's probably at the library!" Hani smiled as he savored his cake. He scarfed it down quicker than most people probably could but, as a sign of respect to its creator, he made sure to fully enjoy every bite. "Haru-chan, do you want some cake too?"

* * *

When the Host club wasn't working, Mori was easy to find; he was always at either kendo practice or in the library. He liked reading more than most people might think. It was nice to get lost in a story or to learn about new things. Carefully flipping the pages of the animal care book he'd selected for the day, Mori sat down at a table without giving it much thought. It wasn't until he heard the sound of another book's pages rustling that he realized that he wasn't the only one there.

Siting across from him at the table was a girl. She was focused on her book, a historical fiction novel, and paid him no mind. From the stacks of books on either side of her, he could easily assume she'd been there first. should he move? It wasn't as though he was planning on bothering her so he didn't think she'd really care but...

She laughed softly, her eyes lighting up. What had he done that made her so amused? Looking around curiously, he finally realized she wasn't laughing at him; she was so lost in her story that she didn't even know he was there. She was careful when she flipped the page, not wanting to bend or fold the paper. Realizing he wasn't bothering her at all, he relaxed and continued to read his book.

Time passed slowly that day, he later noted. It seemed like he'd been sitting there across from her, his legs tucked uncomfortably under his seat so he wouldn't accidentally touch her, for an eternity when the bell rang, ending all after school activities. Somehow, though he didn't mind. Every time he looked up from his book, he was greeted with an interesting sight. _She's really expressive..._ He thought to himself, watching her expression change according to what she was reading. She quietly got up from her seat, picking up the stack of books she'd already read and bringing them back to the front desk. It was taller now than it was before... _She must be a fast_ _r_ _eader_. He thought, putting his own book in his bag. She came back for the last four and scooped them up in her arms with a smile on her face.

For the first time, she noticed him. She gave Morinozuka a polite nod, which he returned, before she walked off at a brisk pace. Who was she? He'd never seen her at the club before. She wasn't in his grade either. Though curious, all his thoughts of the girl were pushed to the back of his mind as he went to meet his driver at the front entrance.

* * *

He didn't look for her the next day. Nor the day after that. He barely thought about her at all. She was just a random underclassman he'd seen in the library. He just went along with club activities as usual, caring for his cousin, and going along with Tamaki's quests...Until that Friday. The club was closed that day due to exams so Mori fond himself going right back to that table in the quietest part of the library.

Perhaps it was the broken window latch that prevented students from going back there or maybe it was how the librarians gave them judgmental looks when groups or pairs of teenagers went all the way back there. Mori didn't mind; everyone knew he was a smart, straightlaced young man and the fact that the window was always open made it more comfortable. He liked the breezes that blew through there. No matter what it was that had always deterred others from that table, it had always been his own secret place to read without disruptions. Maybe that was why seeing that girl there surprised him.

She had a whole new stack of books at her side today. Fiction, guidebooks, and how-to manuals...she read a little of everything. _North America..._ He read the spines of some of the guidebooks curiously. They were all for the same place. The how-to manuals covered topics from rock climbing to race car driving. The fiction novels she'd collected were all American novels.

Was she planning a trip? No, she would've been giving the guidebooks more attention if she were. Was it just for fun? _What a strange girl..._ He sat down anyway, diagonal from her this time. Just like before, she paid him no mind, studying the books instead. He watched her more this time, noting her odd habits. She seemed more interested in the photos in all of those guide and instruction books. She didn't seem to care at all about the words.

She smiled when she saw pictures of huge mountains and sunrises, her gray eyes brighter than before. She liked them, liked the excitement of those pictures but loved the calm of forests. Pictures of the sea, however, caused her to become slightly pale, sad. The book she was flipping through lying flat on the table in front of her, he glanced at the photos. Some of them were quite beautiful, sunlight glinting off of gentle waves. Why did she react so sadly?

A few strands of black hair fell in her face as she looked down. Her long hair had been loosely gathered and up on the back of her head. Rather than stylish, it seemed rather careless and clumsy. She obviously didn't care how she looked in other people's eyes.

Without even realizing it, he'd been watching, studying, her the whole time, his books forgotten. Despite his sudden fascination with her, Mori didn't say a word to her nor her to him. They nodded to each other once again, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as well, before they went their separate ways.

In an odd way, it was quite an enjoyable day. In an odds way, that table seemed even more comfortable and nice than before. Oddly, Mori almost hoped she'd be there again next time. But only almost. Interesting or not, she was just a random girl. He wouldn't enjoy his time in the library any less if he was there alone.

Still, he still almost hoped to see her again.

* * *

 **Writing a story for each character so Kyouya's will be out soon too. Hope you liked this. It'll be a really slow and short story but I hope you like it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So the girl gets a name this chapter. Plus I might be going to fast with this so if you think I should slow down, just tell me. I own nothing but OCs.**

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After that, he tried to find her everywhere.

She never showed up at the Host Club. It was slightly disappointing; he wondered if she did anything besides read. Was she alone? Was she the type that enjoyed solitude? She hadn't really given off the vibe of being a loner, but maybe that was because he had an odd idea of what a loner was like. After all, he decided, it was rather silly to assume that every teenager who was a loner carried around an oversized bag and wore a leather jacket. Where had he gotten that image in the first place? Maybe it was because of Tamaki; he'd been a bit into foreign films lately.

He stopped himself from looking around and wondering about her during club time., He just sat back and enjoyed his friends' company...after all, she wasn't anyone to him. Just a curiosity.

He didn't see her in any of his classes. So she was an underclassman then...Or was she in the B, C, or D classes? She seemed pretty alright financially (judging from the modest bracelet yet expensive on her wrist) and the difficult books he'd seen her read did indicate that she was quite intelligent...

He pushed his thoughts of her out of his head and focused on his notes.

She was at the library on Tuesday after classes. This time, she'd smuggled in a thermos of hot tea. Even though she was careful around it, it still made him a bit nervous. But then he noticed how bundled up she was. It wasn't that cold yet, was it? _Oh, she's sick._ Her mouth was covered by a mask and her now heavy breaths were interrupted by small sniffles. Her cheeks were flushed from more than the warmth of her clothes.

He stared at her, worried. For the first time, she looked up and noticed him. Their eyes locked, but she didn't say anything. He dug in his pocket for tissues and held them out to her with great concern. She smiled gratefully as she took them, making him feel a bit warm as well. He'd seen her smile before but this was the first time it was directed at him. It was quite a different feeling. He kind of liked it. A quiet hour of reading and sniffles passed much too quickly and they parted ways again with just a nod. They didn't say a word to each other at all, but somehow they still seemed closer than before.

She wasn't in the kendo club; he would've noticed by now if she was. Besides, active, sporty work...It just didn't really suit his image of her. But then again, he hardly knew her, didn't he? He mentally berated himself for getting distracted. He shouldn't be thinking of her right now.

He did see her at lunch, eating alone with a book in her hand. So she was a loner? No, he thought, she wasn't. A cheery girl bounced her way over to the reading underclassman. This girl he recognized. She was one of the girls who always came to see Hani, Tsukuda Mio. She whispered something in the other girl's ear that made her laugh loudly, now completely distracted from her book. He could hear her laugh from two tables away, and, although she tried to stifle it, he liked the sound. Despite his usual stoic image, Morinozuka Takashi couldn't fight back his smile.

"Mori-senpai! are you okay?!" Tamaki overreacted, shocked by his expression. Even the twins seemed a little taken back. But Mitsukuni, his best friend and cousin, followed his line of sight and smiled too.

Later he commented, "She had a nice laugh, huh, Takashi?" For such a small, childish, and sweet person, Mitsukuni was quite sharp. "She's a first year, you know!" He smiled innocently.

"Hmm." He replied shortly. It was a bit embarrassing to get found out. But at the same time, he wasn't sure why it was. It wasn't as though he had a crush on the girl. He just found her interesting. What was there to be embarrassed of?

"Ah, Hani-senpai!" That girl's friend chased them down the hall. "I baked some cookies in home-ec! Would you like some?!" Tsukuda smiled brightly but shyly as she offered them to the small blonde. While Mitsukuni cheered happily, Takashi caught himself staring at the girl next to Tsukuda. It was the girl from the library for sure. Her eyes, her face, her posture, and the book in her hand all added up. But her hair was different. _She looks really different with her hair down._ She smiled at him and gave him a polite nod. "Ah, this is my best friend Yuri! She helped too!" Instead of saying hello, she nodded to the blonde as well. "She's a little shy so you'll have to excuse her!"

"I'm not that shy." Yuri softly replied to her friend with a soft smile. Mori's heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice for the first time. _Cute..._ He thought, smiling again. "I just like books better."

"Ouch..." Tsukuda laughed, acting horribly offended. "You're so mean, Yuri!" Yuri laughed again, her brown eyes bright. Tsukida made more idle chitchat with the hosts but, disappointingly, Yuri didn't speak again. But Mori knew one thing for sure. He was even more interested in her now. _A first year named Yuri..._ He repeated over and over in his head until he was sure he'd never forget it.

He really wanted to know this girl.

* * *

 **Yuri and Takashi. Sounds like a good pair, doesn't it? These two so cute; I love writing about them. Oh and the title's "Without A Word" but the idea is that they get to know and fall for each other without saying a word to each other. Just in case you were going to point out that Yuri talked this time or that there was real dialog this time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just recovered from really bad writer's block (and still struggling with it) which was the main reason for my unplanned hiatus so this'll probably suck big time but the best way to get better is to write as much I can so have chapter three after a huge delay. Yes, I'm back for now! I own only OCs**.

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She wasn't in the library this time. The third-year boy found himself a bit embarrassed by his own disappointment but skimmed his books regardless, casting an occasional glance up to that empty seat across the table. It made sense. She couldn't be there every single time...Though the pet care books had caught his eye at first, he couldn't focus on the words like he always had been. Even though it had only been a few times, she'd always been there when he was reading. It just felt off without her now.

Stoic as ever, Morinozuka Takashi returned the books without saying a word. The only one who noticed his change in mood was his relative and best friend Haninozuka Mitsukuni. But the short boy didn't say anything; he had an idea of what was going on, but it was better if his cousin found out for himself.

* * *

Test scores came out the next day. No big deal; he was confident that he did well. Regardless, he decided to check. As expected, he had scored well. What he hadn't expected, however, was to run into that girl as she rushed down the hall, a big grin on her face. Well, actually, it wasn't him who ran into her; it was his teacher.

She apologized profusely, bright pink spreading across her cheeks as she franticly gathered her scattered flyers. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't hide her excitement. "Sorry, Sensei! I wasn't paying enough attention!" The kind teacher laughed, helping her.

"Doing favors for the drama club?" Ishikawa-sensei asked casually like he'd known her for years. "Tsukada forget to print them off again? Honestly, that girl would forget her own head if it wasn't attached to her neck." Yuri laughed too, softly. "By the way, I heard you scored in the top five first-years, Yuri-chan! Congratulations!" Yuri returned his smile but it didn't feel as genuine as it had before.

"Thank you for your help, Sensei. I should get these to the club quickly." Mori watched the exchange curiously and noted Yuri's change of mood as well as—though he wasn't sure why he found it important—her hair style. With her straight, black, shoulder length hair down and brushing against the back of her neck the younger girl continued to walk down the hall with a downcast gaze. _Oh_ , he thought, _is she in the drama club?_

* * *

When he got to the library for the second time this week, she was there as usual. Her hair was pinned up, a smile on her face, and a worn book in her hands. The spine itself was so worn out that the title was barely legible. The corners had been dogeared and bent over several reads. No way was it one of Ouran library's books, all kept in pristine condition. Which means….it was her own, a personal copy of an obviously beloved book. From the cover, it seemed to be a historical fiction. With a warm smile, she continued to flip the pages at a much faster speed than she had with any other book.

He almost smiled as he watched her. Last time…it had been too boring without her. Relaxing slightly, he turned his attention to his own book. The time flew by and before either of them knew it, it was already time to leave. Yuri smiled and nodded politely at her upperclassman as she packed her bag up and left. Once again, the two didn't say a word to each other but the boy was still satisfied. He got to see her after all.

* * *

The next day, he recognized one of Mitsukuni's guests right away. _Oh_ , he thought, _that's her friend._ "Hani-senpai! What should I do? I think he's going to get a girlfriend!" She whined with tears in her eyes. Every couple club days, Tsukada Mio would come to the club, request Mitsukuni, and get his advice. "I've liked senpai for years—I even followed him to this schools instead of going to Lobelia like my mom—but he says he's going to confess to the girl he likes soon!"

Mitsukuni munched on cake as she cried, and the other girls consoled her. Tsukada continued, tugging on the bangs of her short hair, "He says he likes her because she's sweet and lady-like! It's not like I can help being a tomboy; it's part of who I am! But he'll never like me as me no matter how close we are. I thought he might finally be seeing me as more than a friend! He does; he sees me as a brother!"

The girls flinched, not sure how to reply to that. Despite having no experience in love, even Takashi knew that was a painful way to be rejected.

"Even worse, he wants me to wish him luck, so he can get with the girl of his dreams! That boy's driving me crazy! Should I just confess already?" The girls around her started to voice their opinions and give her their own advice but the short, blond boy just smiled. Rarely did he ever do this when at the club, but Takashi allowed his mind to wander, thinking of the girl in the library.

Did that girl have the same worries? Or did she prefer to immerse herself in the world of books instead? Yuri seemed to read a bit of everything; her interests were vast. If they talked, which would he ask her about? Could he maybe make her laugh? It was a nice sound; he'd like to hear it again.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the knowing smile his cousin looked at him with as Tsukada started to talk about how she fell in love. "We were kids; at first, I just thought he was interesting, ya know? We became friends, but I'd always be thinking about or looking at them, getting disappointed that I didn't get to see him…Somewhere along the line, I just fell in love with him without really being aware of it." She groaned. "And now I feel like an idiot for it!"

"Don't worry about it, Mio-chan! That's just how love is!"The shortest host grinned, patting her on the head with a cute smile, perhaps knowing how much better it made the short haired girl feel to have someone reassure her that her feelings were perfectly normal. "Right, Takashi?" The stoic young man, having been distracted all through the conversation, didn't know what to say so he just nodded his head instead.

Needless to say, the girls were very curious about Mori's love life after that.

* * *

 **Sorry this isn't good. Still getting myself back to my former mediocre glory.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Still struggling a bit but with too many Gintama ideas this time. I own only OCs**. **I tried to make this cute so it may be a bit OOC. Maybe a small Yuri/Mori moments, I guess? But one's not really _between_ them.**

* * *

She was back again! This time she was reading a science fiction novel but not quite enjoying it. He watched her yawn several times before she finally switched to another book, this one a self-help book. Was that one from home too? It was in pristine condition and obviously new, but didn't have the protective covers of any of the school's books. _How To Build Bonds With New Family?_ He read the cover curiously. Her face wasn't one of someone enjoying a book. She just looked...sad. Maybe conflicted?

He wished he could say something to make her feel better, but he didn't even know what was wrong. He was tempted to ask her but before he had a chance, she checked her vibrating phone and got up and walked out of the library, leaving her books on the table and her bag in her seat. A phone call, maybe? When he saw that she left her book open for everyone to see, he struggled to hold himself back. His best intentions lost to his curiosity and he leaned over to see what she was reading about.

" _Accepting a new step-parent_ ," he read, " _is a hard, slow, but rewarding process. Don't rush_ _to accept them_ _before you're ready, but don't close of your heart either._ " Feeling guilty, he didn't read any more and decided to leave before she came back.

* * *

The next time, she was hanging up a windchime right outside the broken window (with the permission of the headmaster and librarians of course) but was too short to reach. Worried she might fall out of the window is she tried to reach, he decided to take over instead. Tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention, he felt his heart rate rise. When she looked at him, he caught himself holding his breath for just a moment, not really knowing why. When he gestured to the hamed him her hand, she understood what he meant right away and smiled gratefully. His heart thudded nervously in his chest as he hung the cute windchime up for her, feeling her fingers brush against his as she passed stuff to him. Nervously he finally stepped away from the window to admire his work. The wind stirred a bit, the breeze blowing against the library's new addition. She ginned at him when she heard the beautiful sound. Yuri even gave him a high five, not noticing his embarrassment.

Later, he stared at the hand he clapped against hers, smiling. She had such small, soft hands. And such a cute smile...Just imagining it made his heart take the same irregular rhythm it had before.

* * *

Next time, she brought him some cookies. They were cute, animal themed. There were tiny yellow chicks, little blue and red birds, orange cats, and even little green snakes. With it was a note. "Thank you!" It read in prim and pretty writing, little flowers drawn around the edges like a small border. _So cute..._ He thought as he stared at the gift she bashfully slid over to him. He tried one of the cookies and carefully chewed it, noticing an odd crunch to the otherwise soft treat. The look on her face told him that it probably wasn't supposed to be crunchy. Nor was it supposed to be salty, he guessed. She looked like she was about to stop him from eating any more of them, face red, but he smiled and ate another. She smiled too, a bit apologetic and grateful once again. The tips of her ears remained red. Morinozuka briefly thought it was sweet that she was embarrassed. Sweet enough that if didn't matter that her cookies were salty...but then he realised that sounded too much like Tamaki. What a frightening thought...

* * *

"He confessed!" Mio admitted at her next club visit. "Not to her but he did tell me who it was!" Curiously, the other girls asked her who. This was a regular thing since Hani liked listening to the stories. "My childhood friend, Yuri! I don't blame him; she's super cute and all, but..." She sighed, picking at her cake and leaving her ta untouched. Her short hair was ruffled and sticking up in odd ways. "She's already got too much on her plate without worrying about boyfriend!"

"Oh, I heard about her! The first year whose mother's getting married next month?" One of the other girls chimed in and suddenly Mori perked up with interest. "To Ishikawa-sensei, right? I've seen pictures of her mother and sensei together. They make a lovely couple!" So that's what was up with the book... "And Tsukada-chan, are you still friends with her as your rival?"

"Yeah, but she's more important to me than any boy is! As for her mom's remarriage, she's not feeling so hyped for the wedding. I mean, she's happy for her mom and all! It's just having a 'new dad' thing that's really getting to her." Mio explained, sighing. "And then there's her little sister who's a bit too hyped for this wedding."

"She has a little sister?" Mori asked, catching everyone's attention. He almost never gave anything more than one syllable or nonverbal replies to the girl's stories. After staring at him in surprise for a moment, Mio grinned widely.

"You fell for her too, huh? Too bad, Yuri's going to be my bride someday! We promised when we were kids!" She teased. "But yeah, her name's Sakura. She really looks up to Yuri. That's probably the cause of all her anxiety though..." She shrugged.

"Anxiety?" He sat forward, wanting to hear more, ignoring Mio's teasing. She nodded, taking a bite of chocolate cake and washing it down with a big gulp of tea.

"She has this tendency to try and be the best daughter in the world. You know, amazing grades, good at sports, and bound to go to an amazing college. Her mom's always tellin her to go at her own pace instead but she can't help but want to be the absolute best to make her dad proud. Old habits die hard, I guess. So when she doesn't make the top ten on a major test, she has a hard time calming down." Mio shrugged. "She usually crashes at my place when that happens because she's worried about looking bad in front of Sakura."

"I see..." Mori mentally recorded everything she said.

Later, he'd get interrogated by his fellow hosts. "Mori-senpai?! Are you really in love with an underclassman?!" Tamaki asked, tears of pride in his eyes. He probably had some delusions of being responsible for it if Mori really was in love and was proud of himself for playing cupid. He shook his head and tried to explain that he was just interested in her for some reason but he couldn't get a single word in until Hani spoke up.

"Takashi, do you think Yuri's cute?" He nodded. "Does your heart race when you look at her?" Hani asked, cheerily as if he already knew the answer. Mori nodded again, wondering what this was about. "Do you like it when she smiles? Does it make you embarrassed when she looks you in the eyes?" Once again, he nodded. "do you like being around her?" Yes, he decided as he nodded. It was nice, relaxing and fun... "Takashi I think you might like Yuri-chan."

The next time he saw her, it was a bit different than usual. She wasn't reading like usual, her head down on the table and her shoulders rising and falling with her slow breathing. Oh, he thought as he slowly walked up to the table, careful not to wake her. He stared at her for a second or two before slowly reaching out and patting her on the head, not quite sure what he was doing. How would he explain this if she woke up? His face felt hot and he almost pulled his hand away before he heard her give a content hum despite still being fast asleep. He continued to pat her head a bit longer before getting embarrassed and worried that someone might see him and rushing out of the library.

Maybe Mitsukuni was right.

Twenty or thirty minutes later, Yuri was woken up by her best friend who laughed at her crazy 'bed head'. Despite being a bit confused, she shrugged it off and gathered her books, being careful to hide the short list she'd made. No need to break her friend's heart and lose the person most precious to her.

* * *

 **Sorry this isn't too good this time either but at least I threw in a ton of cute moments. Next chapter will be Yuri's side of event for once!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is super late! Sorry, been** **struggling** **with my personal issues. Glad you guys liked this so much. Hope you're still reading. I own only my OCs**

* * *

"Senpai likes you." It was Mio that brought it up as they walked to the front gate together. Despite the girl's best attempts to protect her best friend's feelings, it seemed like it was impossible in the end. "Do you like him back? It's okay if you do; I'll be fine!" Yuri shook her head quickly.

"I don't see him like that..." The book loving girl sighed, a bit relieved they got it out in the open so quickly. "I don't have anyone I like."

"Hmm? But Mori-senpai is interested in you too. Dunno if he _likes_ you but he seemed really curious about you." Mio winked, but Yuri just tilted her head in confusion.

"Mori-senpai? Who's that?" Yuri innocently asked, much to her best friend's suprise.

"Morinozuka Takashi! You know, that cool, tall guy who's always with Hani-senpai! The friendly giant!" Yuri took a moment to try and remember ever seeing someone like that...

"Oh! The boy from the library?" Yuri asked, surprised. "He's really nice! He ate my cookies even though they were failures. And helped me with the wind chime. Oh, and he reads a lot of books on raising pets..." Yuri smiled fondly as she talked, something she rarely did about anyone besides her family.

Mio stopped in her tracks, mouth hanging open in suprise. "You...You _made_ him cookies? And he _ate_ them?! But...you've never made anything before!" Yuri blushed, pulling her fingers through her messy hair. "Do you...like him? Like-like him?!"

"No, they were a thank you for helping me with the wind chime." Yuri quickly denied it as though it were impossible.

"You're allowed to like someone, you know. It's normal for a teenage girl to fall in love at least once." Mio patting her friend on the shoulder, smiling kindly. "I've been in love three times already!"

"Hmm..."

* * *

Morinozuka Takashi was awake in bed that night, thinking long and hard about what his best friend and cousin had said earlier that day. _I...like Yuri?_

She was cute, yes. When she read, she'd tilt her hair, her bangs shifting slightly. Her eyes were always focused; nothing else existed to her but the book she was reading. You could tell what she was thinking by her expressive face; it was fun to watch. He liked it when she smiled at him, grinned at him...And she was even cuter when she was sleeping. Which, he supposed, was a bit of a creepy thing to think about a person.

Her cookies were...an experience. He smiled to himself in the dark, remembering how the cute little cookies were somehow sweet but salty at the same time. He didn't mind the eggshell bits; it probably made them healthier. Was that proof that he was romantically interested in her? Love is blind or something?

" _Takashi, it sounds like you like Yuri-chan."_

Maybe he really did. He stared at the hand he'd used to ruffle her hair, the hand she'd high fived...Yeah, he probably liked her. He didn't know enough about this sort of thing to say he didn't.

The next morning, he stared at his breakfast for a good minute before eating. His family looked at him, curious but not surprised. He spaced out suprisingly often after all. Takashi ate quickly, already dressed. Nobody said anything to him; they figured it was on purpose anyway.

When he got to school, Mitsukuni just smiled when people cast them strange looks. Takashi didn't understand what was so odd. Not that getting a lot of attention was strange for anyone in the Host Club but quite a few girls whispered how this was a rare event. As Mitsukuni climbed on his back, he wondered what they meant.

"Eh? Mori-senpai, you're wearing your glasses today?" Oh, right...He'd been so distracted this morning that he forgot to put in his contacts...He just put on his glasses and forgot about them. Haruhi, the only one who pointed it out to him also pointed out something else that he missed. "You're on the wrong floor too. Aren't third year classes upstairs?"

"Takashi's been out of it all morning!" Hani cheerfully replied. "He almost walked into a wall earlier!"

"Hey, Hey, Haruhi!" Momo's cheery voice rang through the halls. "Woah! A rare Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai appeared! Lucky me!" The energetic girl dashed through the halls with her less enthusiastic best friend walking after her.

"Mio...no running in the halls..." Yuri sniffled, her voice muffled by her mask. A cold? But of course Mio didn't listen, even hiking up her long skirt to engage in some sort of weird dance. "No dancing in the hall either! What's with you today?"

"Celebrating! I got the main male role in the play, and you, my dearest friend, are at last awaking to the wonders of love!" Yuri's exhausted, downcast face suggested otherwise. "I mean, you even made cookies for a boy!"

"They were a thank you." Yuri shot back, grabbing one of Mio's arms to forcibly stop her odd dancing. "It doesn't mean anything..."

"But he ate them! You mixed up the salt and sugar and got eggshells in them, but he ate them!" Mio cheered, settling for repitively pumping her fist into the air victoriously. "He _likes_ you! I bet he does!" Luckily, Mio's flurry of odd actions drew enough attention away from Takashi that he didn't have to worry about anyone noticing how uncomfortable he was. "Don't you think so, Mori-senpai?" Mio smirked, looking way too much like the twins at the moment.

He hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "Maybe." He shortly replied, his heart pounding. Mio's face brightened even more, her grin so wide it probably hurt. Before she could belt out a victory cheer, Yuri lightly slapped her on the head.

"You're being a bother! Calm down!" Yuri fussed at her, ears bright red. "I won't help you review for the math test if you don't!" She threatened, and Mio's face paled in response. While the drama club member let out a small "whoo!" in victory, her best friend dragged her into the classroom by her elbow, turning to give the three hosts a small, apologetic bow before closing the classroom door.

Finally free of that awkward situation, Takashi turned around to make his way upstairs to his own class. "Mori-senpai! That's the open window!" Haruhi yelled in a panic as he walked in the wrong direction yet again.

"Ah." He blinked several times, his head still in the clouds. Mitsukuni climbed down his back and took his hand.

"Takashi, I'll lead the way for you, okay?" The short blond smiled despite his worry. _Are they going to be okay...?_ Haruhi thought as she watched them go.

The answer to her question: Probably...?

* * *

 **Short update but the next will be longer and have a bit more of Yuri's home life involved so figured some sweetness would be nice first. Yay, both are at the "like" stage! Also, I love Mio. She's heartbroken about her crush liking her friend but she cares more about Yuri. A real friend right there.**


End file.
